WESLACO – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) captured a confirmed Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member and deported felon during Operation Lone Star in Hidalgo Co. last week.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2025, just after 7:00 a.m., DPS Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agents, through collaborative investigative efforts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), identified a possible MS-13 gang member driving a gray Ford pickup away from a residence in South Hidalgo Co.
Working with DPS Special Agents, a DPS Trooper conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle along Las Milpas Road in Pharr. During the stop, the driver was identified as Salvador Mata-Hernandez, 41, of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mata-Hernandez is a confirmed MS-13 gang member with a lengthy criminal history of assault and numerous federal violations for illegal entry dating back to 2000, with the most recent in 2012 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
DPS turned Mata-Hernandez over to ICE/ERO.
###(DPS – South Texas Region)